Alison Rash’s theme of using geometric shapes always drags me into thoughts of figuring out what they represent. In her piece “Too Big”, it reminds me of a gentle snowfall. I would say Ali is an expert of knowing how to make colors advance and recede into a painting. Her bold blues and greens are the first colors I see, while the grey and silver slowly trickle into my mind. At the top of the painting I see a cloud from the grey and how the blue from the sky reflect onto it. I then see how the shapes fall from the cloud in streams of blue and silver. From a distance, each shape appears to be a solid color, but as you look closer, you can see how some shapes are translucent and see the beautiful brushstrokes that form each shape. Even the shape of the canvas appears as a section of a window that enforces the illusion of a gentle snowstorm. Whether it appears to be a winter storm or the hustle and bustle of everyday life Ali’s paintings bring me into a world that leaves me with a feeling of nostalgia.

Asia Reynolds

UMBC 2015

“Sleep” by Alison Rash

In a room filled with other amazing pieces “Sleep” by Alison Rash catches my eye instantly. With so many other works screaming at me, “Sleep” whispers, and its the whisper that makes it so amazing. Looking at “Sleep”there is something so random about the piece that makes it so serene and relaxing. In a world where paintings are a beautiful messiness, it’s crisp, clean lines make “Sleep” so different and interesting. “Sleep” seems so simple at first, but with a closer look it has so much depth and beauty. The random shapes drip down the immaculate, pearly, canvas and the layers of paint mediums and shapes make for a majestic yet lulling piece. The true magnificence of “Sleep” is that one could sit and stare at it for hours and yet still love it just as much, if not more, than when they first saw it.

Natalie Pyle Grade 7

“APPROPRIATED TEXTS” 

Brian Dupont’s text-based paintings focus on how the visual aspects of information are

conveyed—or distorted—within the framework of abstract painting. He uses snippets of

found text in his work, including President Obama’s birth certificate, Richard Serra’s

verb list drawing, tweets from friends, and writings by Samuel Beckett and Thomas

Pynchon. His recent work addresses the visual possibilities inherent in language; he

takes the written (or printed) word as source material, stressing and distorting the text

through a process of painting, erasure and repainting.

Working in oil on metal, Brian uses techniques of high art and common signage in an

attempt to further engage the viewer. His recent work experiments with painting as a

three-dimensional object. By projecting the painting into the space of the viewer, but

keeping the painted planes flat, he forces the viewer to reassess his or her relation to

both the text and object as carriers of information. To this end the text is distorted,

reversed and repeated with odd kerning and shifts in scale, so that the act of reading is

transformed into looking.

Brian was born in Tacoma, Washington and currently resides in Brooklyn, New York. He

received his MFA in Painting from Cornell University in 2000 and his BFA in Painting

from the Kansas City Art Institute in 1996. His solo exhibitions include shows at The

Soapbox Gallery, New York; The Scene Gallery, New York; Olive Tjaden Hall Gallery,

Cornell University; and Kansas City Art Institute Gallery. He has also exhibited at

Skydive Art Space, Houston; Kianga Ellis Projects, Brooklyn; and Crossing Art Gallery in

conjunction with Curate NYC, Flushing. He also writes regularly for the online art

magazine Idiom.

Work by Aniekan Udofia always catches my eye because of the vivid colors he uses and his way of addressing racial stereotypes. He often uses a street art theme that comes across as sophisticated graffiti. He even manipulates the paint so it sprays, making it seem as if it is actually meant to be graffiti. His subjects’ appearance can be exaggerated to make stereotypes apparent. In one piece, a boy of Asian heritage has very slanted eyes and a round face. He is also carrying a bag which could imply that he is going to school. In other pieces, African American subjects have exaggerated lips or noses with afros. A group of them are bouncing a basketball like they are walking to a basketball court. While the features are associated with the certain ethnicities, it is not seen as offensive. It is seen as expressive. Aniekan will always be one of my favorite artists because of how he uses street art to convey themes of race.

Asia Reynolds UMBC 2015

Julie Wolsztynski’s series “Rue Longchamp” presents the human body as a soft, and angelic piece of art. Each image has a soft texture with a small piece of sharp detail. The subject remains anonymous yet the viewer creates a personality for her. The subject appears to be thoughtful and peaceful because of the calm moments Julie captures. She emphasizes the curvature of the subject and shows how it relates to the curvature of the background such as a couch or piece of fabric. In image #3, the body can be seen as a landscape because of the hills and slopes the ribs, legs, and pelvic bone. Image #1 gives a beautiful perspective that leads your eye to the body, while a detail of water droplets on the counter presents a small, delicate moment. A piece of personality shows through the series in image #5, the book the subject holds and thoughtful pose can indicate imagination. The use of only natural light is stunning because it creates beautiful hues that reflect onto the body. Julie’s series is a wonder to see because of  its natural and elegant depiction of the female nude

Asia Reynolds University of Maryland Baltimore County 2015

Brian Dupont’s piece “Colony” is a small addition to his “Appropriated Texts” series but it does not go unnoticed. The text is taken from the screenplay of the classic movie Alien that catches my attention because it is unexpected. It appears to be split down the middle with one side an aluminum grey color and the other blue. The texture of the piece draws you in and makes you want to take a closer look to see the numerous layers and brushstrokes. Some numbers are distorted through the layers while others can be seen more clearly. As I look at the piece I always want to know which part of the screenplay the numbers are taken from. Clips of the movies flash through my mind to try to figure out which scenes it could have come from. Each piece in the series is brings you into another world because with each one I try to visualize the text where it came from. Whether it be a tweet, screenplay, or poem.

Asia Reynolds

UMBC 2015

Quelle Chance! Today I went to visit the Wolfgang Laib Wax Room at the Philipps Collection and ran into a most charming young Italian photographer named Renato D”Agostin. He is part of a small show of Italian Photographers as you enter the lobby of the museum. Renato’s photograph  is entitled “Paris” and is a Gelatin Silver Print from 2005.  We struck up a conversation about this wonderful photograph, about Paris, about travel, about the joys and pleasures of Film photography vs. digital and about the perfect little intersection in the photograph where the rear foot of the man almost touches what I learned was a neon sculpture. The photo is taken at the Pompidou Centre and Renato waited for 2 hours to capture the perfect moment and perfect silhouette that responded to the interior and the neon.  The photograph is enchanting and mysterious and the reflection and surface are sublime.

Even more wonderful was the opportunity to chat for a few minutes with a passionate and articulate artist.  Each piece in the show is paired with a marvelous poem and Renato was paired with the Italian poet Giuseppe Ungaretti  ”I flood myself with the light of the Immense”

As an inspiring photographer, I have always loved Julie Wolsztynski’s images. Her Polaroid series “Smoke” captures a serene winter wonderland. One of the hardest things a photographer can do is sell a Polaroid image because of how beautiful they are aesthetically. So to avoid that heartbreak, Julie combines the series into a zine; each image takes up a page and they are numbered from 1 to 16. They are printed on a thick, lasting paper and it comes with a large tag, which is connected to a thin, frayed rope that gives it a vintage or nostalgic feel. Although the images are not printed on photo paper, they are still beautifully printed and the fine details are still clearly seen. Each image is a beautiful snowy landscape that captures how snow gently collects on trees, roads, mountains, and the ground. The wide-open spaces add a calm, peaceful feel to the series and makes me want to experience the place myself as somewhere to release stress or clear my head. These beautiful and small zines allow art lovers to have Julie’s Polaroids without her having to part with the originals.

Asia Reynolds UMBC ‘15